James Nares
New Paintings
July 9 – August 21, 2010
Opening:
July 9, 6-8pm
8071 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel. 323.658.8088
Fax. 323.658.8068
Michael Kohn Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new work by James Nares. Nares was born in London in 1953 and currently lives and works in New York. His work is included in the collections at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and the Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo.
On view will be a vibrant combination of large-scale paintings depicting the artist’s signature brushstroke, using pearlescent hues on iridescent backgrounds and capturing a single gestural passage over the canvas. In addition, a never-before-seen video by the artist will be unveiled.
As a painter, Nares uses his mastery of the balance between spontaneity and control to create a single elegant stroke that pulsates with energy. Using his signature handcrafted brushes, Nares uses a rig to suspend himself, mid-air, over his canvases, allowing him to capture the energy and lyricism of his artistic process. The artist’s weightless actions seize and elongate the notion of movement and time, suspending this frozen gesture in post-Abstract Expressionist work, relating to Franz Kline as well as to the cartoon brushstrokes of Roy Lichtenstein.
James Nares is also a well-known underground filmmaker, whose film work is comprised of a treasure trove of artistic films and videos from the late ‘70s to the present. In May 2008, the Anthology Film Archives organized a retrospective of the artist’s films, presenting 34 of his short films and videos, including Rome ’78 (featuring punk luminary Lydia Lynch in her late ‘70s prime). Michael Kohn Gallery is pleased to present a never-before-seen video by James Nares, which will run for the duration of his show.
For further inquiry, please contact Lindsey Schiff-Abrams at lsa424 [at] gmail.com, or Laura Sumser at laura [at] kohngallery.com.
Image above:
James Nares, I Can Tell, 2010
Iridescent pigment and wax on linen
94 x 67 1/4 inches.
